The 26-year-old, who stands at six-foot-nine-inches tall and weighs in at 249lbs, can play center or on the right wing and iced with three teams in the ECHL last season, ending the year with 23 points (11G, 12A).
Parker made his professional debut with Orlando Solar Bears last season, whilst playing alongside Stars Captain, Fabrizio Ricci for 30 games, before he was traded to Toledo Walleye and went on to make 26 appearances.
The American-born, Canadian was then traded to Wichita Thunder, where he played out the final eight games of his season and was re-signed by the Thunder this past summer.
Hailing from Florence, Kentucky, Parker is also a graduate from the University of Windsor, where he spent four years competing in the Canadian USports league.
Between 2017 and 2021, the power forward featured 84 times for the Lancers, scoring 23 goals and assisting on 25 more, while netting once in six collegiate playoff matches.
Parker also played four seasons with the Saskatoon Junior Hockey League’s Weyburn Red Wings, after completing his midget career in Seattle and Saskatoon.
Although a native of Kentucky, Ian calls Saskatoon, Saskatchewan home and is a former teammate of ex-Stars, defenseman, Kyle Haas as the pair spent two seasons together at the University of Windsor, between 2017-2019.
After completing the signing of Parker, Stars General Manager and Head Coach, Jeff Mason delightedly said: “It was nothing to do with recent results, we have been short-bodied since day one and the whole group has not been on the ice once yet.
“We started training camp with injuries and late arrivals, so we have been concerned for a while now that fatigue could become as issue, so adding a player like Ian will help us through the rest of the season.
“Ian adds a lot of value to the team, he is a natural center which is something we desperately need.
“He is a massive body up top and he wreaks havoc in front of the net, which is how he scored 11 goals last year and they all were all picked up in the hard area, right in front of the net and he will be able to create some space for us.
“I believe he will fit in well, I got great references on him, he is a great person and I am happy to add him to our team, and as we start to get healthier, having another body will allow us to get back to playing the way we did before, when we were a bit more fresh and be a bit more aggressive.”
Mason continued: “Ian is a good age, where he comes with experience but still young enough that he has a lot of game left in him, but from everything I have been told, he is very coachable and he can provide a steady presence for us.
“So, I am looking forward to getting him into the line-up and seeing what he can do for us.”
Once he finalised his first move to Europe and confirmed his reunion with ex-teammate, Ricci, an ecstatic Ian commented: “I am really excited to see what Dundee has to offer and I am ready to help contribute to the success of the team in any way I can!”
Stars Captain, Ricci also gave an insight to what the team will gain with the addition of Parker, adding: “He is bringing in a great character guy, he works hard, has a big frame and is great for the net front stuff.
“He is a great team guy and that is the most important thing, he is going to slide into this group easily.”
In his career so far, Parker has featured in 369 matches, scored 75 goals, assisted 96 times, and has collected 314 penalty minutes, whilst also making 32 playoff appearances and collecting 13 points (6G, 7A) and 54 penalty minutes.
Parker will wear the #18 Stars jersey this season.
To view Ian’s career stats on Elite Prospects click HERE.
